Horseman
by Duke402
Summary: A new hero arrives at the city, but what is his purpose? Is he friend or foe? And what secrets lay hidden in his past? My first fic, so CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is appreciated. COMPLETE
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not, never have, and never will own the Teen Titans or any other registered trademarks of DC Comics.

**Prologue**

Never had I felt such a strange mixture of emotions. I was feeling complete opposites at once. Exhilarated, scared, exhausted, hyper, stressed, and relieved all at the same time. I rubbed my eyes to try and keep them in focus. I looked back through my thermal viewer at the ridge line in front of me. So far I had seen nothing except the usual countryside in the area. I was about to relax and think the op might be a cakewalk when I saw what I had both been dreading and looking forward to the whole time, a bright white dot on the top of the ridge.

"Gunner sabot tank!" I yelled into the comm. set.

"Identified!" my gunner yelled back.

"Fire!"

"On the way!"

My tank shuttered as 26 lbs. of depleted uranium flew out the main gun tube and towards the enemy tank. I watched the brightly glowing chunk of metal fly through the sky in a gentle arc until it impacted the tiny white dot on the horizon with a satisfying flash.

"Hit!"

"Got the bastard!" my gunner almost jumped out of his seat.

"Good shot, now let's see if there are any more out there." I said as I laid my hand on his shoulder to clam him down a little.

I called the other tanks in my platoon to see if they had any other contact. Charlie 3 had taken out an enemy tank and Charlie 2 had gotten an APC, but that was it. "Maybe it's just a recon unit." I thought to myself. Boy was I wrong.

"Tank!" my gunner snapped my attention back to the thermal viewer.

"Fire!"

"On the way!"

I was about to warn the rest of my platoon when they all started calling in at once.

"We've got a whole …(static) load of …(static) enemy to our front!"

"Intel was wrong, there's …(static) more than just a recon element out there!"

My tank commanders all started reporting in with the same thing, trouble. I was about to call my commander when something got my attention. The ridge line in front of me that before had only the two burning tanks was now almost glowing with the heat signatures of enemy vehicles like a christmas tree. My jaw dropped slightly.

"Look at all of them sir! What do we do?" my gunner was starting to panic.

I saw the flashes as tiny white dots arced into the air from the enemy tanks. I could only watch in horror as they rapidly grew bigger. I had only seconds to consider my response.

"God help us" was all I got out before the white dots grew bigger until they completely filled my viewer. Then all was black.

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Author's Note:

Before everybody starts making opinions about this piece of work (if it is not already to late) there are two issues I want to clear up:

I know what you are thinking, what in God's green earth does this have to do with Teen Titans? Don't worry, they appear next chapter and the importance of this prologue will be revealed eventually.

This chapter may have touched a nerve with some people what with the current situation overseas. Rest assured, this has nothing to do with the Iraq War and I have no agenda to try and post my views on it. The story takes place on an alternate universe where super heroes in spandex do inhuman fetes of courage, so relax. It is a fictional war with an unnamed enemy, so no offense is intended towards any nation or people. Plus there will never be any mention of it in the rest of the story, so don't worry about it.

Also, by the time this is posted, there will be four chapters including this one, posted all at once. So if any reviews will not be read until after chapter 3.

Thank you and enjoy the rest of the story.

P.S.- Can somebody please tell me where the name "Jump City" came from? It is not in the original comic book series and I have never heard it mentioned in the TV series, yet every body calls it that in their fanfics. I have lost a lot of sleep over this and want to put it to rest. If anybody can give me a answer, they have my gratitude.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not, never have, and never will own the Teen Titans or any other registered trademarks of DC Comics.

**Chapter 1**

Every single person in the world, no matter what their race, color, creed, financial or moral background, all have a morning routine. There are many different combinations of routines, and no two people's routines are exactly the same. They do, however, almost all start out the same way.

Step 1: Sit up in bed and try to figure out what day of the week it is and what you have to do that day.

Step 2: While rubbing your eyes rotate 90 degrees in bed so that your feet make contact with the floor.

Step 3: Drag yourself to a semi-upright position and scratch yourself in whatever spot(s) itch.

Step 4: Trudge to the bathroom to relieve yourself and do whatever else needs to be done.

For Beast Boy this routine was no different. Never an early riser, he was usually the last one up in Titans Tower. By the time he was walking towards the main room, he was already cringing at the smell of Cyborg's cooked bacon wafting out of the kitchen. He knew another verbal confrontation was about to begin with the overgrown battery about the nutritional versus moral advantages and disadvantages of tofu.

He walked into the main room of the tower and was greeted by much the same sight that he saw every day. Starfire was talking to Robin over on the couch while Raven was reading a book on the other side of the room.

"Morning Sunshine! Want some grub?" Cyborg said as he held out a frying pan of bacon and eggs.

"Dude, we do this every morning, you know I don't eat meat, you know why I don't eat meat, and I know you don't eat tofu. So why do you keep offering it to me?" Beast Boy said with a groan.

"Because though you won't admit it, your skinny butt needs some real protein in its system and deep down inside you know it, I'm just trying to make you realize it." Cyborg replied with a smile.

"Oh yeah, well I think that somewhere deep down inside, you desperately want to have some of this tofu, it's just _you _whodon't realize it." Beast Boy replied.

They continued on this way for several minutes. After a while Raven's eye began to twitch in annoyance until she could take no more. She slammed her book shut and walked over to the two.

"You guys argue more than a married couple." was all she said before she turned and left the room.

Cyborg and Beast Boy just sat there with their mouths halfway open for a couple of seconds.

"What do you think she was implying?" asked Beast Boy.

"We do _not _act like a married couple!" Cyborg yelled at the closing doors as Raven left the room. "So, what was I saying? Oh yeah, want some of this bacon?"

Beast boy was about to open his mouth when the alarm suddenly sounded.

"Trouble!" Robin leapt up from the couch and dashed for the door.

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The City was one of the most prosperous ones on the west coast of the US and owed this prosperity to its lucrative trade with East Asia and the Pacific Rim, as well as other commercial and industrial centers in the city itself. One of the more profitable of these was casinos. There were only a small handful of these on the outskirts of town overlooking the sea. Most citizens and the city government discouraged casinos in the area because of the crime and moral troubles they brought with them, but when they saw the amount of tax dollars that they could harvest from the flashy buildings, it was usually enough to keep any complaints to a minimum. From all over the city and surrounding countryside people came in droves to loose thousands of dollars of their hard earned cash on the slimmest of chances of coming out with more money than they came in with. Of course more often than not, people lost their money to the house and left feeling broken inside.

It was this prospect of all that cash being stored in a privately owned building on the edge of town that attracted a certain customer that day, also hoping to leave rich. He did not realize it, but he was also gambling, a big gamble. Nothing in life is certain and the chances that he would make a profit that day were a lot slimmer than he realized.

The vault door blew of its hinges as Dr Light walked into the vault and stared at the mountains of coins and piles of cash.

"There is enough money here to keep me happy for a long time." He said as he began to fill several duffel bags. "I only wish I had thought of this earlier. Now, only problem is how I am going to carry this all out."

"You may not realize it, but that's the least of your troubles Dr Light."

He spun around to see Robin and the rest of the Titans standing in the vault entrance. He let out a sigh.

"I expected you, and I am getting tired of having to deal with you all the time." He stood as his hands began to glow.

"Titans, move!" Robin shouted and all five of them scattered as glowing bolts of light impacted where they had been standing just a minute ago.

Not taking any chances, Dr Light grabbed all the bags that he had already filled and headed for the door.

"Oh no you don't." Raven said.

Suddenly the bags he was carrying turned black and were lifted from his hands. They then floated half way across the room before turning around and went flying back at him with tremendous speed. Before they could impact though he blew them apart with his light bolts and sent money flying everywhere.

"That was my money, you're going to pay for that!" he yelled shaking his fist.

He never saw the green rhino charging at him from the side. The impact made him fly several feet and into the wall where he impacted and crumpled to the floor. He stood up dazed and shook his head. Looking at all the Titans in the room ready to pounce him, his confidence suddenly faltered.

"Guess its time to cut my losses. Nice seeing you again, but I've got better things to do than mess with you kids." He then blew a whole in the wall and sprinted outside.

"Don't let him get away!" Robin yelled as the team ran after him.

Dr Light was in the middle of the gigantic parking lot and headed in the direction of the woods that bordered the casino. Starfire let out a series of starbolts but all of them missed and he continued to run. Robin was right behind him and took out a bird-a-rang. Taking careful aim he let loose with it and sent it right into Dr Light's leg causing him to stumble and fall. He lay flat on his face for a couple of seconds before rolling over and looking at the faces of his attackers.

"Give it up Light, your finished." Robin said.

"Yeah, you need to realize when to give up, and that time was a long time ago." Cyborg added.

"You think you can defeat me, you will never defeat Dr Light!" he said this as he raised one glowing hand in an attempt to release one last attack. Before he could fire though, a bo staff slammed into his face and he slumped over unconsciously.

"Good work team, now lets go take him to jail." Robin said as Cyborg lifted him up and threw over his shoulder.

"Glorious, we are triumphant!" Starfire said as she flew circles in the air.

"You know, its days like these that this almost gets kinda old. I mean, how many times have we defeated this guy and carried him of to jail? It's De Ja Vu all over again." Cyborg grumbled as he made his way over to the car.

"It's not our job to see how criminals are kept once they are turned over to the law, only to put them there." Robin said.

"Yeah, I know." Cyborg said sounding a little depressed.

They all pilled in the car and drove off to the police to turn in their captive.

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He watched them pull out of the parking lot and speed down the road to the city below. He still did not move from his hiding spot in the woods on the hill above the casino where he had been the whole time. Sun Tzu said that "Thus it is said that one who knows the enemy and knows himself will not be endangered in a hundred engagements." At the moment he knew very little about these "Titans" he had heard so much about. From what he just saw he was a little disappointed. True, their opponent was no great challenge and a poor standard to judge them buy, but from what the people of the city had said, they were far less than what he had expected. Still, he would continue to watch and wait from the shadows and observe.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not, never have, and never will own the Teen Titans or any other registered trademarks of DC Comics.

**Chapter 2**

After returning to the Tower everybody went off to do their usual activity, Beast Boy and Cyborg played video games, Raven read a book, Robin did research on criminals on the loose, and Starfire went to find new Tamaranian recipes to cook for her friends.

"How do ya like that green bean! I don't know why you keep dragging you butt back, cause I keep kicking it every time!" Cyborg celebrated another yet another win.

Beast Boy just sat there hunched over with a look of utter defeat for a second or two. After letting out a sigh he got up and stretched.

"Guess your right, so I'll let you play solo for a while I…" he paused for a second thinking of what else there was to do. Then he thought of his second favorite past time. "…Go bug Raven!" he said and marched out the room to go find the reclusive member and bombard her with annoying questions.

Meanwhile Robin was typing away on the computer mainframe looking at criminal profiles. Starfire walked up behind him.

"Friend Robin, what might it be that you are doing?" she asked in her innocent tone.

"I was thinking about what Cyborg said earlier, about how we keep putting criminals in jail but they keep breaking out. Then we have to repeat the same process of catching and re-catching the same guys over and over again." he mused. "Maybe he's right, maybe we need to oversee tighter security measures at the prison." He said looking at the screen.

"You need not worry, we have always been victorious in battle and these bad men always end back where they belong." she said.

"Yeah, I suppose your right." he replied as he got up from the computer. "You know what, I need some cheering up, lets all go-"

He was cut short by yet another alarm.

"Aw man, now what." Cyorg complained as he got up from the couch.

"Robbery downtown" Robin said looking at the computer screen.

"Some people just never learn." replied Raven as she entered the room.

"Ok, we got a job to do. Titans, Go!" but before he got the last word out Robin realized that he was the last one standing in the room. Shrugging, he ran for the door behind everybody else.

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Rush hour traffic was a pain. What made it even worse was when you needed to get somewhere in a hurry. It was already dark out and people seemed to care less if there was a white and blue sports car behind them with a seven foot tall, half robot with a bad case of road rage honking at them.

"Hey granny! He's letting you merge, move it!" he yelled out the window while honking on the horn.

"You know, its times like these that I wish the officials would at least be kind enough to let us have a siren" Raven droned out.

"Were wasting time, Cyborg, you'll have to stay with the car and make your way through traffic. Raven, Starfire, Beast Boy, we'll go by air." Robin said.

"Aw, comon! You can't leave me stuck like this." Cyborg protested.

"Sorry Cyborg, but there's no time to loose." He said as Stafrire lifted him into the air and the four sped off downtown.

"Stupid (grumble) greasy haired (grumble) know it all." Cyborg mumbled to himself as he hunched over the wheel.

The rest of the team flew over the traffic and on to the site of the crime, a pawn store on the east end of the city. The Titans had been called there because the police had taken automatic weapons fire when they approached the scene. When the Titans arrived however, it looked like the police had everything under control and all was normal. The area was taped off and the two criminals were over in a corner. That was when it seemed that everything was not normal. The criminals had paramedics all around them as they screamed in pain. Robin walked over to one of the police officers.

"What happened here?" Robin asked.

"Good question, I was hoping you could tell us." the officer responded. "After we had the area blocked off and heard that you were on the way, we heard some gunfire. When we approached the scene we found these two guys bloodied up like you see them now."

Robin took a closer look at the arrested criminals. They were just run of the mill thieves, but they both had sub-machine guns. That was not the strangest thing though, the strangest thing was paramedics were treating them both because one had a gunshot wound and the other had his left arm chopped off.

It was at this time that Cyborg finally arrived and ran over to the group.

"You finished without me! I always get left out of the…" he trailed off as he looked at the injured crooks. "What'd you do!" he looked in disbelief at the rest of the team.

"Calm down, it wasn't us." Raven said.

"We don't know who it was either." the police officer said. "The bad guys here keep saying something about the Second Horseman of the Apocalypse or some gibberish like that."

"So what you're saying is…" Beast Boy looked like he was deep in thought. "The rapture is upon us! Quick we must all go bow before the wrath of God!" he started to run off before Raven grabbed him by collar and threw him down on the ground.

"No idiot, its probably just some weirdo on a horse trying to be a hero." Raven said.

"Yeah but no hero would leave his victims like this." Robin said as he gestured towards the two being loaded into an ambulance.

"Who ever it was, he must be one tough amigo. Between these two we count forty rounds that they fired off at their attacker and not a single trace of blood that is not their own. Plus…" the police officer took a bag from another officer. It contained four spent bullet casings. "Their attacker uses a H&K 45., not to uncommon but a bit more unusual than your standard mill 9mm pistol. Oh yeah, we also found hoof prints so they were right about the horseman part."

Robin looked around him. "Whoever he is, he cannot be allowed to act with this level of mercilessness. I'm not going to make him a top priority, but we'll be sure to keep our eyes open."

The rest of the Titans nodded in agreement and they all headed for the T-Car.

"Since were all out, lets get some grub. How's pizza sound?" Cyborg suggested.

"Yes, we shall take part in the consumption of the round doughy food." Starfire said clapping her hands.

"I suppose a little grub couldn't hurt." Robin agreed as they all climbed into the car and drove off.

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He watched as the car drove off into the night. Now he knew their policy on his kind of justice. It was amazing they got anything done in this city with such soft spines. Maybe all the crooks were just as soft as them, he thought for a second. He shrugged deciding it didn't really matter, he would show the scum of the city what true justice was like, and he was sure everybody would soon take notice, both good and bad.

He thought about snooping around the city some more, maybe even continuing his surveillance of these Teen "Titans" that they called themselves. He decided against it and stretching, decided to turn in for the evening. He needed to plot out a strategy before his inevitable confrontation with the group. He was in no hurry to meet them, but he knew it was going to happen sooner or latter and he wanted to be prepared.

He was walking off when a thought occurred to him. It made him stop in his tracks and a smile formed on his lips. On second thought, some pizza would really hit the spot right now, he thought to himself.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not, never have, and never will own the Teen Titans or any other registered trademarks of DC Comics.

**Chapter 3**

Gosh it was good. It had been so long since he had a good slice pizza. It wasn't the best stuff he had ever had, but it still tasted delicious. He took another sip of his gigantic soda and watched the table of misfits with curiosity like most other people were doing. He had never seen a group of people do so many things at once. They were only talking and eating, like everyone else, but it was what they were talking about that got his attention. They were arguing, laughing, complaining, flirting maybe, and insulting each other all at once.

"… for the last time the apocalypse is not upon us." the pale one said in a flat monotone voice. She instantly reminded him of the Goths that he knew in High School that everybody made fun of. She seemed a little different though, kinda seemed familiar in a strange way. When he thought of whom she reminded him of, he immediately dismissed it knowing there was no way the two could have anything in common.

"How do you know? This is one of the signs, the end is nigh! What are we going to do?" replied a short green kid. He reminded him of an elf, an elf that never shut up and just from here he wanted to punch him in the face. He liked having a joker around him to relieve the tension every once in a while, but this kid took it to far.

"Please friends, what is this catastrophe you speak of? Did we not avoid the end already?" asked a tall red head. She was cute, he could get past the green eyes and the fact she could probably kick his butt. However, she was too… nice. Her naïve manner got on his nerves.

"It's nothing Starfire, just some old religious prophecy." replied a medium build kid with greased black hair and a mask. He could tell from the start that this guy was the leader of the group. He seemed competent enough in that capacity, but the fact that he seemed so uptight got on his nerves a little. Uptight, and obsessive, he might be able to use that to his advantage.

"Yeah, it's just some weirdo running around trying to prove to himself that he's a tough guy." said the half robot while he shoveled food into his mouth. This made him smile slightly. Who knows? Maybe he was right, maybe he was trying to prove that deep down inside, he was a tough guy, but that really didn't matter.

All things considered they seemed like a nice enough group of kids. Pity he would have to fight them. Their conversation continued for several more minutes. Satisfied that there was nothing else to learn from the group, he paid the tip to the waitress and got up to leave.

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"Ugh, I'm stuffed." said Beast Boy as he rubbed his stomach. The T-Car rode through the city streets towards the Island.

Much everybody else was thinking the exact same thing. This caused a truly phenomenal moment, nobody said a word. Before anybody could ruin this though, they were all distracted by the sound of an explosion.

Raven sighed, "Just one of those days I suppose."

The noise had come from their right down the street.

"Cyborg, you know what to do." Robin said.

"On it" he replied and took a sharp turn down the street they had heard the noise from.

The team pulled up in front of a bank with smoke pouring out of its front windows. They all got out of the car and walked towards the shattered glass door.

"Ok, we don't know who it is, so be ready for anything." Robin said.

What happened next was totally unexpected though.

"Help me!" came a voice from inside.

"Titans, go!" Robin yelled but before any body moved Starfire held up her hand.

"Wait, does that voice not sound, familiar?" she asked.

Everybody stopped and listened.

"He's going to kill me!" came the same frantic voice.

"Mumbo Jumbo!" everybody said at once.

Sure enough, the blue magician came stumbling out the door, his hand clutched around his right arm. "You gotta help me! Please, I'll never steal again I swear, just stop him!" he said as he ran up and hid behind Cyborg.

"Uh, pal, were here to take you to jail." said Cyborg.

"Fine, I'll go to jail, just keep him away from me!" he pleaded.

"Who?" asked Raven.

"Me" came a voice from the bank.

What emerged was like nothing they had ever seen. A mounted rider on a horse emerged from the bank, but not the shadows. He was, black. Not skin color black, though this was impossible to tell since they could not see his skin, but his whole appearance was dark. His horse was black, he was dressed in solid black cloths, gloves, boots, and a black Kevlar helmet. His shirt and pants were hard to see, but they looked a lot like the kind of uniforms SWAT teams wore, solid black and full of pockets. His face was hidden in shadow and smoke, despite the street lights that were near by. The only color that came from him was the glowing red pupils of his horse and the glimmer from the sword he held at his side.

"Who are you!" demanded Robin.

"My name… is not important, only my mission." he replied in a deep gravely voice.

"Then what's you mission tough guy?" Cyborg retorted.

"Much the same as yours, to help get rid of the criminal menace." the horseman replied.

"Please! He'll kill me if you let him get near me, I beg you keep him away." stuttered Mumbo form behind Cyborg.

"We appreciate your help, but your methods seem a little, extreme." Robin said to the strange figure.

"You wandered why your criminals keep escaping and committing the same crimes over and over again, did it ever occur to you that your being to easy on them? Let me show this sad excuse for a human being what true justice is like, and I'll guarantee that he never dreams of committing another crime as long as he lives." the stranger said as he gestured towards Mumbo Jumbo.

"Sorry, but I don't think I like what you have in store for Mumbo here, no matter how much he deserves it." Robin said as he took out his bo staff.

"It is unfortunate that you do not approve of my methods, for now I will have to fight through you to get to my victim." said the horseman as he reached for his hip with his left hand. While still clutching his sword with his right hand, they saw him draw out a semi-automatic pistol and heard the distinct clicking noise as the hammer was drawn back.

"Please, we do not wish to fight you stranger. If you just wait, we may still find a peaceful solution to this dilemma of ours." pleaded Starfire floating above the others.

"Sorry, but the time for talk has gone." and with that he took aim and started shooting at the Titans.

The Titans had no problem with bullets, they were used to dealing with far more lethal weapons. So they had easily dodged/blocked all of the metal projectiles. Raven blocked them with her shield, Stafire and robin dodged them, while Beast Boy turned into a mosquito. Cyborg never even flinched, they just bounced off his body armor.

After using up a magazine of ammunition, the dark figure holstered his weapon. "I figured this would do me little good against you, all as well, I would be disappointed if it did hurt you. Never the less, I'll have to use more conventional methods." And with that he kicked the flanks of his horse. The horse reared up on two legs and let out a loud whinny. Flames erupted from its nostrils and then it sped forward. Its rider gripped the reins in his left hand and his sword in the right. He charged straight for Mumbo who was by now running away at full speed.

Robin leapt in the horse's path and just at the last moment he spun to the side and swung his bo staff at the rider in an overhead move. Before the staff could make contact though, the rider swung his sword into the staff and the two meet with a metallic clash. Robin watched as the rider continued past him and then looked at his staff. He stared wide eyed where the sword had cut straight through the metal and now had only a half length staff.

The rider continued on at full gallop until a green elephant stepped in his way.

"Out of my way!" the rider yelled. By this time Mumbo was well down the street and almost out of sight in the darkness.

"You're going no where buddy." Cyborg said as he let loose a sonic cannon blast. The rider saw it coming, and raised his sword like he was going to block a punch. The blue beam hit the sword and was reflected to a nearby building. "How'd you do that?" asked the half machine in disbelief.

"Why should I tell you?" was the only reply as he turned and ran around the giant elephant. He then came to a halt looking into the night. "He's gone. My prey has gotten away." he said sounding agitated.

"Good for him, but your not going to be so lucky." Robin said as the rest of the Titans circled around him.

"If I can't get the person I came for, I'll have to settle for you people instead." and with that he galloped forward. Starfire let out a barrage of starbolts, Cyborg shot at him with his cannon, Robin threw bird-a-rangs, yet they all seemed to miss. Raven was picking up everything she could find on the street. Cars, mailboxes, light posts, and sent them flying at the stranger. He managed do dodge all of those too.

"I may not be able to hit you with my cannon, but boy will I with my fist!" Cyborg said as he threw a punch at the rider. The horse reared up at the last moment and instead his fist impacted with the chest of the animal. Both horse and rider fell down in a gigantic heap. Walking over to the fallen rider Cyborg leapt back as the he stood.

"You're gonna pay for that." he said as he walked towards Cyborg. Cyborg threw another punch at him but it never made contact. The stranger raised his sword and cut right threw the mechanical hand of his opponent. Cyborg's hand fell to the ground, loose wires at the end sparking.

"I think you have had enough fun with that weapon of yours, lets see how you fight without it." Raven said. A black aurora surrounded the blade and it began to tug at the rider's hand. He simply yanked hard on it and the aurora vanished.

"But… that can't be possible." Raven said. For one of the few moments in her life, everybody could easily see her emotions displayed on her face.

The rider held the sword in his hand, closely looking at it like he was inspecting it for scratches.

"Tell me, where do you get your powers from?" the rider asked quietly.

"Why do you want to know?" replied Raven.

He stood there for a moment, saying nothing, but looking like he was in deep thought.

"Uh, are we still going to have to kick your butt, or do you give up?" asked Beast Boy.

The stranger snapped his head coming out of whatever thought he was in. "Neither" was his only reply. His horse staggered back up and he went over to mount it.

"Stop, you have hurt my friends and must not be allowed to leave unpunished." Starfire said as she floated in front him, eyes glowing. For a minute he sat there unmoving, as if considering his next move.

"My work is through here." and with that he made an overhand swiping movement with his sword at Starfire. She quickly dodged to the left only to receive a foot in the stomach. It knocked her to the side only a foot or so, but it was enough to open up a path for the horseman. He galloped of down the street and around a corner.

"After him, don't let him escape!" Robin yelled as everybody followed. Yet when they turned the same corner that he had went behind moment earlier, there was nothing but an empty street.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not, never have, and never will own the Teen Titans or any other registered trademarks of DC Comics.

**Chapter 4**

Contrary to popular, belief, Titan's tower is often a quiet place. That is, as long as no body is around. This was a different story though. All five of the Titans were sitting in the main room and for once, were just sitting there, thinking. Cyborg was at the table putting a new hand on his arm while everybody else contemplated the evening's events. Even Beast Boy was exceptionally quiet, sitting down with his head on his chin. This however, gave him a headache. He sat up and opened his mouth, getting ready to relieve the tension.

Before any noise could come out though, he stopped, because everybody in the room was giving him a death glare that could melt steel. He closed his mouth and slumped back into the couch. Finally, Starfire spoke.

"Friends, we should not be sad, we were not defeated in battle, it was our enemy who retreated." she said.

"That's not it Starfire, it's _why _he retreated that bothers me." said Robin. All heads in the room slowly nodded in agreement. "Raven, he seemed to take some interest in your powers, any idea why?"

"No" was all she said.

"Are you sure, I mean-" Robin was cut of by Raven's sharp reply.

"I told you, I have no idea why the guy would be interested in me specifically, I have never seen or heard of him before in my life and cannot imagine why my powers seemed to amaze him." she said slowly.

Cyborg finished attaching his new hand. "There, good as new. Good thing I keep an abundance of spare parts for myself." he said packing up his tools. "You know Robin, this guy gave us a rough time tonight, and he certainly didn't seem friendly. Maybe we should move up his priority on our hit list." he suggested.

"You're right Cyborg, he's a threat to us and everybody else. As of right now, this guy on horseback is our number one priority. Starting tomorrow, were conducting a city wide search for him." Robin said slamming his fist into his palm.

"Guy on horseback, you know, it's strange he never gave us even a nickname or something to go by." Raven said.

"Maybe he's just one of those rare villains with a low ego. I mean, they've got to be out there somewhere." Beast Boy said as he shrugged.

"Yeah, well whatever his name is he's gonna get a good whooping next I see his creepy butt again." Cyborg said as he got up and headed for the door. He yawned, "Alright ya'all, I gonna hit the sack, see ya in the morning."

"He's right, we have a long day tomorrow, lets all get some rest." Robin said getting up. They all got up and went to their individual rooms.

All, that is, except Raven. She sat there motionless staring of into space. Starfire was the last one to the door and stopped when she noticed Raven was not moving.

"Friend Raven, is something troubling you?" she asked in a concerned tone.

Moving only her mouth, Raven responded "I have never seen him before in my life. That much is true, yet there was something… familiar about him. When he broke my telekinetic grip on his weapon, I got kind of a mental 'whiff' of him. It's hard to explain, but some element of him seemed familiar. Like a scent you might smell that reminds you of something from your childhood. Only in this case, it was all in the mind." she said.

Starfire was about to talk about how when the toilet backed up, it reminded her of her mother's wonderful cooking on one of the many joyous Tamaranian holidays. She thought better of it though and simply left the room.

After several more minutes of deep thought, Raven sighed, got up, and went to bed.

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He plopped down on the couch. It made a hissing noise as air escaped the many holes and tares the piece of furniture had endured in a life that was probably longer than his. His room smelled awful, but that's what you get for living in an abandoned warehouse. It was the only place he could find that afforded some secrecy, and it was free. Not to mention the rats made good company.

He held one of his hands up to his face and saw it shaking slightly. He grabbed it with his other hand to stop it and got up. He walked over to his makeshift medicine cabinet and grabbed a couple of Tylenol. He popped them in his moth and sat back down. This was the most scared, and uncertain he had felt since…

He shuddered at the memories that came back and shook it off. The only reason he had fled the scene when he did is because he did not want to display even the slightest hint of fear to his opponents.

He had suspected it slightly when he first saw the girl, but had immediately dismissed it. Now he was almost certain, that creepy pale skinned girl was the offspring of Trigon the Terrible. The fact that _thing _could reproduce was alarming, he was also surprised that anybody even remotely related to him go be as good looking as her.

"Must get it from her mother." he grumbled to himself. Now his entire mission had to change. She must be dealt with. Just what to do with her was the question. She may be a good person, he sensed no great evil, at least on the surface. Yet he knew that nobody, no matter what their upbringing, could be cleansed of that demon's evil completely. He remembered his oath, and what must be done. She had to be wiped from this earth.

This troubled him though, he had always expected anyone or anything associated with Trigon to be repulsive on every level. She was none of these things. There had to be another way to keep any influence of that beast in check without harming her.

No…, he could not risk it. He knew what had to be done. He would eliminate her and forever remove the influence of that demon from this plane of reality.

Tomorrow, he thought, yawning as he stumbled for his bed. First, sleep, then killing.

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It was morning at Titans Tower. Raven had just finished her meditations, Beast Boy and Cyborg were arguing over breakfast when Starfire and Robin walked into the room.

"Ok team, I hope you all got some rest, because today were going to find that guy from last night." Robin said as he entered the room.

"Don't sweat it dude, I mean the guy rides a horse. How many of those can there be in the middle of the city?" Beast Boy said in between mouthfuls of tofu.

"Though I agree with Beast Boy's observation, we must not underestimate out opponent. He did after all, almost give us the 'but whoop' last night, did he not?" Starfire said.

"Starfire is right, he won't be easy to find. We can't just expect him to come knocking on our door." Cyborg said.

No sooner had he finished saying that, than the visitor notification signal went off. Everybody in the room froze. All that is except for one.

"Oh joyous! A visitor!" Starfire said as she zoomed out the room and down the stairs.

"Should we stop her?" Robin said hunched over.

"Nah, probably just another stupid tabloid magazine reporter." Beast Boy said as he continued to eat.

Starfire flew down the stairs and opened the front door.

"Greetings! Welcome to the Tower of the Titans! My name is Starfire, how may I help…" her last couple of words trailed off as she saw who it was.

"Is Raven home?" the horseman asked.

Before Starfire could respond she felt a sharp prick in her neck and her whole body went limp. She slumped to the floor and could only watch as the hoofs walked past her. Then everything went black.

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Robin was working on the computer while everybody else stood behind him.

"Ok, we've spotted him here, and here, so that means…" he typed furiously.

"It's not enough to go on." Raven said.

The doors to the main room swooshed open.

Without turning around Cyborg asked "Hey Star, who was it."

"Who do you think." said a deep voice behind them.

Nobody even breathed, they were all to scared to move. Yet slowly they all turned around to see exactly what they feared they would, the same dark character from the night before.

"Where's Starfire!" Robins shouted as he jumped up.

"Relax, she's passed out on the couch downstairs. She'll wake up in a few hours with a killer headache, but nothing more." he replied. His was still on his horse and had to bend low to pass under the door frame as he entered the room. "Now before you all get to wound up and excited, let me just say what I came here for." He paused "Raven, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to end your life. You can make this quick and painless by not resisting or, this can get real drawn out and nasty, the choice is yours."

"What kind of question is that!" Beast Boy said waving his hands.

"Why do you want to kill me?" Raven asked in her monotone voice.

"No time to explain, just tell me your answer." the rider said.

"Of course she won't let you, and neither will we!" Cyborg yelled.

"Titans go!" Robin yelled and they all leapt into action.

Everybody came running at the intruder full speed. The rider simply sat there and waited. The first person to reach him was Beast Boy, in the form of a green tiger. He leapt upon the rider knocking him off his horse and onto the ground. Once they hit the floor, Beast Boy was on top of him. The stranger then put his feet on the animal's underside and pushed the 500 lbs. creature across the room.

Cyborg was right behind him powering up his cannon. The stranger then jumped up and drew his pistol. He fired seven shots at Cyborg, but unlike the night before, these bullets penetrated his armor. Three entered the bore of his cannon shattering the outer lens, the rest punctured through his chest. Cyborg staggered back as his lights started to flicker. He then hit the floor half sitting against the wall.

"I was prepared this time, found some armor piercing rounds." said the dismounted rider as he holstered his weapon.

"Robin, he hit my main battery, I – I can't move. You'll have to finish him off." said Cyborg as he sat there twitching.

Robin was already on it. He ran at him at threw a fist at the attacker's face. The rider bent over backwards and threw up his right leg into Robin's mid-section. Robin grabbed his leg with both hands before it could come in contact and threw the rider into the wall.

"Nice move, but I'll be honest, martial arts was never one of my strengths." said the rider as he pulled out his pistol. Before he could fire though, a bird-a-rang knocked it out of his hand. "Now you're just starting to tick me off." he said as he rose and pulled out his sword.

The rider just barely dodged a black couch that flew right through the air where his head had been moments earlier.

"I may not to be able to get a hold of you, but that doesn't mean I can't grab anything else. Azarath Metrion Zintho-" she was stopped as the black horse rammed into Raven knocking her to the ground. She rolled over and looked at it confused. It stood over her looking at her before it whinnied and reared up. She rolled out of the way before its hooves came down where she had been lying moments before.

A green lion then clobbered the animal from the side and the two rolled over on the ground, the lion clawing at its prey and the horse kicking with its hooves trying to get up.

Meanwhile Robin and the rider where fighting hand to hand, the rider with his sword and Robin with a bird-a-rang in each hand. They were parrying each others attacks for a while when the horseman stopped.

"I'll be honest kid, you're pretty good. So good in fact, I can't beat you in a fair fight. So I'll be the first to let you know, I don't fight fair." and with that he grabbed a pot of bubbling purple goo that had been cooking on the stove next to him and flung it at Robin's face. Robin stumbled back trying to wipe the stuff from his face when the horseman hit him on the head with the pommel of his sword. Robin then slumped to the floor in an unconscious heap.

He then looked at Raven standing in front of the window in a crouched position like she was ready to spring forward at any minute. He started walking towards her.

"Hey tough guy! I'm still here! Why don't you come get some of this!" Cyborg said as he tryed to move. The rider simply walked past him never even throwing a glance his way.

The horse and a green cheetah were circling each other when the rider walked up behind Beast Boy. Beast Boy had just realized who was behind him when he spun around to face his knew threat. At the same time the horse ran forward and knocked the other animal to the ground. Beast boy then morphed back into his human form while moaning and gripping his side. The horse then walked over and planted a hoof firmly on his chest.

"Hold him there for a second will you." said the rider as he walked over to Raven.

"Why do you want to kill me?" she asked.

"No time to explain. Unlike the villains in the movies, I don't give away my plans when victory is near." He raised his sword and made a downward sweeping motion with it. Raven dodged to the left but he knocked her feet out from under her with his leg.

He grabbed her by her cloak and with one hand and held his sword high in another. In any second he could have ended it, but he just stood there staring at her. She could not see his face, but she could feel him looking into her eyes. She could feel his grip loosening, see the sword in his hand begin to shake. After a wile his whole body began to tremble. He finally let go of her and his sword and slumped to the floor sobbing.

"I can't do it." he said holding his hands to his face. Raven just stared at him puzzled and unsure of what to do.

The horse was also looking at him with an oddly human expression of confusion on its face when Beast Boy, seeing an opportunity, changed into a rhino and knocked the horse to the ground.

By this time Robin was slowly coming to and walked over to the sobbing mass that had been their enemy.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I don't know." was all Raven could say.


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not, never have, and never will own the Teen Titans or any other registered trademarks of DC Comics.

**Chapter 5**

All the Titans were gathered around their attacker in a circle. For several hours the black rider had just sat there hunched over, unmoving. His horse had walked over to his side and stood there, looking at all the Titans. The Titans could almost swear it was… glaring at them.

By this time Starfire had waken up, but was still groggy from the affects of the tranquilizer they found in her system. Cyborg had fixed himself up and everybody else had recovered for the most part. They had spoken to the rider, asking basic questions, but so far he had refused to even acknowledge them.

"Lets just turn him over to the cops, he's not going to say anything. Besides, what do we need to know?" Beast Boy said wearily.

"He came here specifically for Raven, that means something. Were not going to let him leave here until he tells us." Robin said with his arms crossed.

"Please, tell us, why do you wish to harm my friend?" asked Starfire.

Silence

"Who do you work for?" prodded Cyborg.

Silence

"Is it Slade?" asked Robin.

Silence

Raven had been quiet just as long as the horseman had. A thought had entered her heard after the fight had ended, a very troubling thought. Finally, she could stand it no more and asked.

"Did my father send you?" she said almost in a whisper. That got his attention.

His head snapped up. Though she could not see his eyes, she could feel them burning into her. He then relaxed a little and resumed looking at the floor.

"I thought we had defeated that guy." Cyborg said.

"No" the rider said. Everybody jumped at his first spoken word in a while. "Trigon was defeated, yes, but he is still out there somewhere. You did not kill him, only banished him to an unknown dimension."

After he said that, he slowly raised his head and removed his helmet. As the black Kevlar helmet came off, the whole veil of darkness that had been surrounding him seemed to part like a curtain. He spoke slowly as he stood up to a full upright position.

"My name is Kevin Franks, and I know this because I was once a servant of Trigon the Terrible." He looked not to older than the rest of the Titans. He had short red hair, slightly pale skin, and brown eyes. He was of medium height and build.

Everybody just stood there with their mouths open. Finally Robin spoke.

"So Trigon _did_ send you then." he said.

"Know you stupid twit, I said I _used_ to be his servant, but I am no longer." Kevin said.

"So then why did you want to kill me?" asked Raven.

Kevin sighed. "That takes a lot of explaining." he said.

"Were not going anywhere. If you got a story to tell, then were all ears." Cyborg said.

"Very well." He walked over to the kitchen counter and sat on the edge. His horse trotted over to his side.

"My story starts years ago. I was a lieutenant in the army during the war…"

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I opened the hatch on my tank and pulled myself out of the hole with thick black smoke rising from inside the turret. The enemy sabot round hand punched right through the outer skin and burrowed into the crew compartment. I was the only one left alive.

I crawled over the side and flopped to the ground. I tried to stand but couldn't, the wound in my side was deep. I had lost a lot of blood and suspected my lung had been punctured. My driver, who had been kept safe in the forward part of the hull came running over to me.

"Hang on sir! I'll get you out here!" he said as he lifted me up and helped me walk as we began to hobble away from the burning tank. By this time the enemy armor had reached our position, but they simply rolled on by like they didn't see us. Then I heard the enemy APC stop right behind us.

"Oh crap its-" my driver's words were cut short as enemy fire tore into him.

I took out my pistol and fired a few pot shots at the enemy infantry before hobbling away to a nearby wood line. There I collapsed from exhaustion against a tree. It was dark by now, it would be some time before they find me, and by then I would be dead…

I watched the battle unfold before me. Flashes in the distance like thunder, tracer rounds bouncing everywhere, the screaming of dying men. I felt life leaving me, things were getting blurry, I knew I had only moments left to live. With the last of my strength I shouted out to the night sky.

"I, Kevin Michael Franks, offer my soul to God, or whoever may want it, as long as you can grant me life; and power." I was about to close my eyes fore ever when…

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"Whoa! Wait a minute, you were going to sell your sole to the devil? Why!" Beast boy interrupted.

Kevin gave him a glare that mad him shrink down a little.

"Listen to me little man, have you ever died? Have you ever been close to dying?" Kevin asked.

"Well, there was this one time…" Beast Boy trailed off as everybody in the room was angrily looking at him. "…not really." he finished kind of meekly.

"I thought not. Anyway…"

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Suddenly I felt just a fraction stronger and looked up. I still saw only the burning of vehicles on the plain below me but I heard a deep monstrous voice enter my head.

"**I can give you all you ask for, and more, if you pledge your allegiance to me**." the voice thundered in my head.

"Who are you?" I asked weakly.

"**My name is not important, only what I ask. Now do you swear you allegiance to me, or should I let you die now?"**

I would like to say I thought about it for a minute, but it did not take me long to decide.

"My soul… is yours to command."

With that all my pain, fatigue, and weariness disappeared. My wound vanished, and I felt stronger, better, than I had my whole life.

"**You will be my hand on this world of yours. My thoughts and wishes will become your actions. You live to sever me alone. But to do this, you must have tools of the trade. Here, use these."**

Out of nowhere a jet black horse galloped up to me. On its side hung a sword. The animal was huge, its eyes glowed red yet it seemed friendly, to me anyway. I unsheathed the sword and examined it. It was a copice, a slightly boomerang shaped weapon the Greek cavalry would have used several millennia ago.

"**This sword is indestructible, and can cut through any material made by mortals. Your horse is the greatest steed in five dimensions, and shall carry you to victory. Ride him with pride, and no weapon shall ever graze your flesh. But remember this, you exist only to serve me, and shall you ever deviate from this path, you will suffer a fate more horrible than you can possibly conceive."**

"I have but one question, whom do I serve?"

No sooner had I asked that than a head rose over a far ridge. A giant stood up, taller than a mountain, red skin, white hair, and four glowing eyes.

"**Behold, I am Trigon the Terrible! And I am your new master."**

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"But if Trigon had you working for him, then why did he need Slade to do his dirty work?" Cyborg asked scratching his head.

"I don't know who Slade is, but if you wait, I'll tell you why I quit." Kevin said sounding slightly irritated. "For days I rode across the battlefield like death itself. I charged enemy machine gun nests and entrenched positions, taking out my anger on the enemy that I had been fighting for so long. Yet despite this, not a single bullet ever touched me. After several days of slaughter, I grew wary and left that country forever, and returned to the US. Then my horrible duties as Trigon's servant began."

"He never told me the full details of his 'master' plan, but he let my in on a little. He was preparing for his entry into this world, where he would reign supreme and my service would be rewarded. This transition would occur through something of great importance that already existed here on earth. What this thing was, he never told me, and I never dared ask. I never found out, but I suppose that doesn't really matter." Kevin said shrugging.

The Titans all exchanged nervous glances but said nothing. Kevin then continued.

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My duty was to help pave the way for his arrival. That mainly consisted of destroying anything or anyone that may pose a threat. I cannot count all the people I butchered for that monster. Men, women, children, if Trigon willed it, they fell under my sword. I rode all over the globe burning and murdering anything that might stop the big red creep. That all changed one day though.

I had been told to burn a Buddhist temple in the Himalayan Mountains. Supposedly they had some great knowledge that could harm Trigon when he crossed over. I did what I always did, I killed every monk I saw and burnt the temple to the ground. I was about to leave when I heard a noise that seemed to come from under the snow. Walking over to it, I found a secret room under the ground where school children were hiding. I was about to leave them alone and go on when his voice filled my head.

"**What do you think you're doing? Kill them all." **Trigon commanded.

"But why? I have fulfilled your wishes, these monks and whatever knowledge they had are no more, what threat do these children pose?" I asked.

"**They have been taught by the monks. Everything and everyone that believed in their teachings must be erased from your world. Now do what I say! Or have you forgotten our agreement?"**

I slowly grabbed a girl buy her coat and lifted her up. I raised my sword ready to strike, but could not. I looked into her eyes and for the first time, despite the hundreds I had already sent to the next life, I felt sympathy for her. Her eyes showed the greatest amount of fear and pleading I had ever seen. I couldn't do it, that was my breaking point. I dropped the girl and began to ride off.

"**How dare you disobey me! You have one chance to turn around and do as I will, or suffer the most horrible of consequences." **The voice in my head said.

"No, do with me as you must, but I shall not take on your tasks any longer. Consider our bargain cancelled." I shouted into the air. I braced my self for the greatest mental and physical pain of my life, but none came. That voice never entered my head again, yet my powers remained.

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"After that I swore a blood oath, to use my powers only to do good in this world and stop Trigon or any of his followers. That is why I was going to kill you Raven, you're the offspring of that monster and I was determined to wipe every remnant of him from this planet. I didn't though, because as I was about to slay you, your eyes reminded me of that little girl in the mountains all those years ago. I knew I could not kill another innocent."

Everybody was quiet and looking uncomfortably at the floor. Except of course, Beast Boy, he was over by the horse examining it like a new appliance.

"So this horse is the some demonic animal, cool!" he said.

"His name is Bucephalus, and he is my closest companion. That horse has the same brain power as anybody in this room. Well, almost anybody." Kevin said looking at Beast Boy.

"What do you mean? This horse is as smart as a person?" Beast Boy said scratching his head.

"Precisely, he can even understand everything we are saying right now." Kevin said crossing his arms.

Bucephalus looked straight at Beast Boy. This caused the green elf to jump back like he was stung by a bee.

"Ummmm, hey pal, I don't now how to tell you this, but, Trigon has already come to this world and left." Cyborg said.

"And I was the key to his arrival." Raven added.

Kevin did not move "I was aware of Trigon's arrival. I saw the sky burn and the seas boil, and the flesh turn to stone. I was immune to it because I still posses the powers he gave to me. These powers make me immune to all of his, which is why Raven's telekinesis does not affect me, she also derives part of her powers from him."

"However, I was elsewhere in the world when it happened, so was unable to come fight him. Though you seem to have done a good job on your own." Kevin said.

"Raven, you did not destroy him, only sent him to another dimension. I know this because I can still feel his presence in the back of my mind. Also, if he were dead, my powers, as well as yours, would have died with him." he finished.

For a while no one moved or said anything. Then finally Starfire spoke up.

"I wish to apologize for being so harsh to an enemy of Trigon. Please, will you be my friend?" she said almost begging.

Kevin looked confused "I drugged you, tried to kill one of your members, and now you want to be my friend?" he asked scratching his head.

Before Starfire could respond, Robin laid a hand on her shoulder.

"We need to discuss something. Kevin, if I leave you alone for a minute, do you promise you won't run away?" Robin asked.

Kevin stood up "You have my word." he said.

"Good, Titans, lets step into the hall for a minute shall we." Robin said and they all filled out of the room.

Bucephalus snorted and looked at Kevin.

"Don't worry about it, I not going to let them hold me back, we'll be out of here shortly, one way or another." Kevin said patting him on the neck.

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Author's note:

For those of you who may have already guessed it, I partly borrowed some of the story line from the PS2 game "God of War" so at this time I think it would be appropriate to be on the safe side and state:

God of War is a registered trade mark of some corporation I have no stock in and I do not own or pretend to own anything associated with that commercial enterprise.

With that said, more chapters to come shortly.

Also, a special holler out to Mibu Onikage, my only reviewer so far, thanks for the effort.


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not, never have, and never will own the Teen Titans or any other registered trademarks of DC Comics.

**Chapter 6**

"Listen, we need to talk about what to do with this guy. Sure, once you get to know him, he seems nice enough, but lets not forget only earlier he took every one of us down. Were lucky that he fights villains, otherwise we would have our hands full. But even the way he does that is a little extreme." Robin said, talking to the rest of the team out in the hall.

"Robins right, this guy has the potential to be one bad dude. We can't be sure he won't turn on us at any minute, I mean, he never even apologized for attacking us. I don't even think he wants to be on our side." Cyborg said with his arms crossed.

"But did he not just say he wanted to do good? We at least owe this Kevin a chance to prove himself." Starfire said.

"Wait, you want him on this team! Are you crazy, after what he did to us! I am not going to have a demonic horse in the room next to me." Beast Boy said.

"Why, we let you in here don't we." Raven replied, not even looking at him.

"You're forgetting, we have to turn him in for the actions he took against those robbers earlier. He's wanted by the police." Robin said.

"Could we not just, overlook his infraction?" Starfire pleaded.

"You know, this is a big decision, I say we put it to a vote." Raven suggested.

"Fine, but it needs to be done in two parts. First, who votes to forgive his attack on us and not turn him into the authorities." Robin asked.

Stafire's hand immediately shot up, followed by Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg. Robin just stood there with his arms crossed.

"Fine, we let him go. Now the second part. Should we ask him if he wants to help us fight crime?" Robin said quietly. "Before you answer, remember, this is a JUST A TRIAL. His membership is far from certain. Show of hands, now." Robin said.

Again, Starfire's hand went up first. For a second nobody else moved. Then slowly Raven raised hers, followed by Beast Boy. Robin and Cyborg just stood there leaning against the wall and staring at the floor.

"The ayes have it, but we need to do this cautiously. Lets not forget last time." Cyborg said growing quieter with the last sentence.

Nobody moved for a minute, then, Starfire broke the ice.

"Joyus! I shall go inform our new friend at once!" she said and flew through the door back into the main room.

Kevin was leaning against the counter, rubbing his chin when everybody else walked back into the room.

"So, are you going to arrest me?" he said, not even looking up.

"Actually, we were wondering if you would like to be a temporary member of our team." Robin said quietly while looking at the floor.

Kevin slowly raised his head and looked at the group. For a moment he said nothing, then he spoke.

"Are you stoned? After what I just did to you, you ask me if I want to help you? Sorry, but I have my own agenda. Besides, I work alone." With that he stood up and put his helmet on and grabbed Bucephalus by the reigns. "Thanks for the offer though. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be leaving."

The rest of the Titans looked shocked, except for Robin, who looked like he was going to explode. He just stood there fuming. Starfire looked like she was about ready to cry.

"But please, will you at least be our frie-" she was cut of by Kevin's response.

"Sorry lady, but I don't want to be your friend. In fact, if you see me again, don't even count on me being friendly." He said as he walked for the door. Not even turning his head back, he walked out of the room and the doors swooshed shut behind him.

For a second no body even moved.

"What a butthead." Cyborg grumbled.

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Kevin walked into his shanty home. Bucephalus trotted over to his trough to eat some oats while Kevin went to grab something to drink. He paused and looked at his surroundings. The warehouse he was in was a giant open building that was two stories tall. Catwalks and stairs were on the sides and a few small offices were on the ground floor. In one of those offices he had set up a bed and couch. This was where he lived.

"Maybe I should have taken them up on that, at least for a decent place to live." he said to himself.

"I can't blame you for that, you most certainly deserve better than this." said a voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once.

Kevin drew his sword, scanning the building. "Identify yourself!" he shouted.

Movement caught his eye over in a shadowy corner. Slowly a tall figure emerged from the darkness.

"How rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Slade, and I think we might be able to help each other."

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It had been several days since their visitor had come and gone, and things were starting to return to normal. Yet everybody was still troubled in their own little way. Starfire was still upset about how Kevin had downright refused to have anything to do with them (he was the first person who had ever done that to her). Raven was deep in thought about the news that her father was still alive out there somewhere, and Robin had a new obsession over the new public enemy number one.

But for the most part they were getting over it. Another day had come and gone, and they were all sitting around the main room doing their own thing. Beast Boy was flipping through the TV channels.

"Anything on?" Cyborg asked sounding bored.

"Not really." Beast Boy said still taping the remote. He paused for a second.

"Hey! I've seen this movie! Sleepy Hollow, it's about this headless rider on a black horse that…" he trailed off as he noticed everyone in the room was giving him a death glare.

"On second thought, it was a lousy movie. What else is on?" he said and continued flipping.

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It was cold out that night. Kevin shivered slightly as the wind blew. He looked up at the giant "T" before him. He smiled slightly, boy was this going to be fun. He opened up the laptop he had and pressed a couple of keys. He did not know much about computers, that was why he had other people design programs that were simple and idiot proof for him. Just a few mouse clicks and simple words to type and the program did the rest of the work for you, those were the types of computers he liked. There was just one more ingredient he needed.

He reached into his saddle bag and pulled out a CD. He placed in the laptop and smiled.

"Let's rock."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"And then the rabbi said-" Beast Boy was cut off by the tower's PA system squealing.

After a second it stopped and music started to come over it.

"Hey! I know this song!" Cyborg said standing up. It was ACDC's _Back In Black._

The moment the guitar kicked in, the building shock from an explosion downstairs.

"Titans! Trouble." Robin shouted and they all leapt up and ran downstairs.

When they got to the lobby, all they found was a smoldering hole in the door, and that was it.

Beast Boy was scratching his head "I don't get it. Where did he go? We went down both flights of stairs. Meaning…" he trailed off as everybody turned to see the elevator going up and stop on the second to last floor.

"Why that sneaky little-" Cyborg was cut off by Robin.

"Quick, we can't let him into the-"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Evidence Room." Kevin said to himself as Bucephalus trotted on in through the door.

Kevin dismounted and pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. He then grabbed the saddle bag off of Bucephalus and went from shelf to shelf, checking off items as he put them in the bag like he was grocery shopping.

"… and last but not least, a remote control." He smashed the glass case and picked up a red and black remote that had a weird looking front.

"I can only imagine what this thing is for. Ok, now all I have to do is-"

"Get out of my Tower you-" Cyborg was stopped by Kevin's immediate reaction.

The rest of the Titans were still stepping through the door when Cyborg had opened his mouth. Not even waiting for him to finish, and with out even turning around, Kevin whipped out his pistol and started shooting. Robin, Beast Boy and Cyborg dove for cover behind display cases while Raven through up her barrier and Starfire flew through the air in a zigzag pattern.

Kevin stopped shooting for a second and looked at Raven, he took careful aim and fired of one shot. The bullet ripped right through her black barrier like paper and smashed into the clasp that held her cloak around her neck. The bullet was stopped, but her clasp shattered, causing her cloak to flutter to the ground.

"You forget, your powers are useless against me." he said. Once again he was concealed in a seemingly black shadow that hid his face, though the Titans could swear he was smiling.

"But my powers are not!" yelled Starfire as she smashed into him, throwing him into the far wall. She gripped him by the neck and held him up high while her other glowing hand reared back ready to strike him at any moment.

"You turned down our friendship, and now you attack us, again! I am through with being nice to you!" she screamed at his face.

"Yeah, well I was never nice to you in the first place." as soon as Kevin finished saying that, Bucephalus rammed his head into Starfire's back. This sent the girl sprawling on the floor and Kevin was released from her grasp. He quickly ran over and mounted his horse.

"I really hate to do this, it's a nice place you got here, but I got what I came for. So until next time, audios." and with that he kicked Bucephalus in the flanks and raced of for the door.

"Oh no you don't!" Robin yelled as he pulled out his bo staff and swept it at the horse's legs. Bucephalus simply jumped over it like it was a hurdle and continued for the door of the evidence room.

It was at that moment Cyborg simply sidestepped into the doorway with his arms crossed.

"There is no way you and that mangy animal are going to get past more than 500 lbs of solid steel and-" he was cut short by the collision. Bucephalus rode right over him, knocking him to the side and sending him flying across the room like a bowling pin.

"Quick, get to him before he's out the front door!" Robin shouted as they all scrambled after him. Starfire flew out of the room, followed by a green cheetah and Robin. Cyborg got up and was on his way out while Raven picked up her cloak tossed it over her arm while flying out the door. She then came to a halt. She sat there hovering for a minute, staring at the floor. A startled expression then came across her face and she speed downstairs.

She came into the lobby just in time to see the rear end of Bucephalus heading out the hole in the door with the rest of the Titans behind him. She stopped at the foot of the stairs and shouted at the top of her lungs at the fleeing figure.

"SLADE SENT YOU DIDN'T HE!"

At this both Kevin, and the rest of the Titans halted in their tracks. Kevin slowly turned his head and looked at her.

"How did you know?" he asked quietly.

"To answer that, A- I'm an empath. B- you and I both get our powers from Trigon. That means that your mind is more in tuned with mine than any one else's. I can read you like a book." Raven replied.

Bucephalus snorted.

"Then you are correct, Slade seems to be a man of vision. He and I are going to reshape this city into the likes of which none of you have ever seen. A newer, better city." he said.

"Dude, whatever Slade has promised, it won't be good." Beast Boy said.

"If you haven't noticed already, I don't care what you say. I'm through here." Kevin said turning to leave. But before he did, he turned his head slightly one last time and said "Hey Raven, if you can read my mind so easily, then read this."

A second later Raven jolted her head seeming shocked. Then an angry expression crossed her face.

"Why you dirty little-" but before she finished, she stopped because he had already rode off into the gathering night.


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not, never have, and never will own the Teen Titans or any other registered trademarks of DC Comics

**Chapter 7**

Bucephalus trotted into the warehouse with Kevin ridding him at a quick trot. At least, it used to be a warehouse. It was now an assembly area. Sladebots where everywhere, machinery lay scattered about the floor. Sparks from arc welders crackled here and there while cranes moved heavy pieces of metal from beams overhead. He rode past several of the machines, looking at them curiously. He stopped next to the only one that seemed vaguely familiar. It looked like some kind of tank, but with a hovercraft skirt on the bottom.

"A hover tank, perfect for amphibious assaults. Against, let's say, an island in the middle of the bay with a giant "T" on it." Slade said behind him.

Kevin turned around and tossed the bag to Slade.

"Gotcha some goodies from the market." he said.

Slade rummaged through the bag for a minute and pulled out a magician's wand.

"You have no idea the power these items hold." he said while still looking at the wand.

"Whatever, you can use those however you want, I know what works for me, and that is right here." Kevin said patting his sword in its sheath.

"But why should you be limited to those things? As lethal as you are, you are capable of so much more. Look around you, I am building an army that will conquer this great city, and I need somebody to lead it. You were once an officer, a mere lieutenant. I shall make you a general."

"Sounds fun, I was up for a promotion anyway. So what do we do now?"

"Patience, my young apprentice. We will strike eventually, but one must not attack until-"

"-victory is certain." Kevin finished, quoting Sun Tzu.

"Precisely, see, we have so very much in common."

"Right, well you can hang around here and get a hard on from watching robots weld. As much as I like the searing heat and the smell of molten steel, I'm going to get some fresh air." Kevin then dismounted Bucephalus and walked over to his room.

"You mock what you do not understand, but soon, you shall learn to love it."

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"This has been one of the worst weeks of my life." Beast Boy moaned laying on the couch and staring on the ceiling.

"No kidding, I can't remember the last time I got by ass whopped by the _same guy_. Or the last time the _same guy _broke into my tower. This is really getting old." grumbled Cyborg.

Raven was standing in the window, looking out over the bay. She simply stood there, unmoving and saying nothing.

"Friends, we must not give into defeat so easily. We shall be victorious over this unholy alliance of the Slade and Kevin, who is most certainly _not_ my friend." Starfire's last phrase came out with her noise pointed in the air. She snapped her head to the forward position a second later like she had an idea. "Has anyone seen Robin as of late?"

"I know where he is, and I'll give you three guesses, though you only need one." Beast boy said from the couch, not even moving anything but his mouth.

"Oh Oh Oh, a game! Lets see, is he on the roof?" Stafire said jumping up and down.

"No Starfire, he's not on the roof." Beast Boy said sounding even more depressed than before.

"Is he in … the lobby?"

"No"

"The basement?"

"No"

"His room?"

"No"

"Your room?"

"No"

"Out on the town?"

"No"

Before Starfire could say another word, Raven spun around snarling.

"He's in the evidence room! He's in the evidence room doing research on Slade and Kevin! That is where you will find Robin!"

As she screamed this the couch wobbled a little bit and the coffee table shattered.

Everybody in the room was staring at her. Except Beast Boy, he hadn't moved a muscle, still just staring at the ceiling.

"Sorry, I haven't had time to meditate yet."

And with that she walked out of the room. She went to her room and sat down on the bed. She assumed the cross legged position and breathed a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Azararth Metrion Zinthos, Azarath Metrion Zinthos, Azarath Metrion Zintho-" she stopped abruptly as her eyes shot open.

"That's it!"

She jumped of her bed and ran out her room and into the corridor. She ran right past Cyborg who shouted to her fleeing figure.

"Yo! Where's the fire?"

"I'll tell you later, just going out to town for a while." and with that she disappeared down the stairs.

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He gazed up at it, towering in the sky. It was nothing more than a piece of stone in the middle of the city park, but it wasn't the stone he was thinking about. It was what it represented.

"I figured I could find you here." came a dry monotone voice from behind him.

He flinched at first, but then relaxed and never even turned around. Raven walked up beside him and looked at the giant monolith.

It was about twenty five feet tall, made of solid marble. On it were inscribed all the names of the soldiers who had died in the war who were from the city.

Kevin had been standing there for almost thirty minutes. He was dressed in normal civilian attire, blue jeans and a polo shirt.

"Guess this was kind of predictable. I must be slacking off." he said.

"Why do you come here?"

Kevin rubbed his hands on the names that were near the base of the monument.

"To remind me of what I have witnessed. These people right here, who I watched take their last breath, it is that memory that drives me on. A world without war, crime, or hate. That is what I strive for. Believe me, if everybody in the world saw what myself and these people here saw on the field of battle saw, there would be none of these evils in the world. But that will never happen, so I must create a world where the opportunity for evil to exist is not available.

That is why I have joined forces with Slade. Together we will wash away the corrupt system that governs this city. The same system that allows villains to wander the street without so much as a slap on the wrist. In its place we will build a utopia where the innocent can live without fear and the guilty live in a permanent state of horror."

Raven stared at him for a minute.

"You don't believe that any more than I do. Remember, I can read your mind."

He sighed.

"I know Slade isn't the most savory of characters. I know nothing about him or what he has done, but I can sense that whatever it was, it wasn't good. But the end outways the means. Once the city is under our control, I will throw him down from his rule and take his place, and then peace and harmony can reign supreme." As he said his last sentence he raised his fist and clenched it; like he was shaking it at the monument.

"If that is truly what you seek, than you are even more deluded than Slade is."

She then turned to leave.

"Aren't you going to fight me? Call your friends? Have an epic battle deciding the fate of millions in this very park?" he said to her as he spread out his arms.

"What's the fun in that? You don't have your weapons or your sidekick. There will be other opportunities." she said not even bothering to turn around.

He stood there for a minute and then shouted out to her.

"Hey Raven, you know that thing where you can read my mind. Well guess what, that's a two way street."

She stopped for a minute and slightly turned her head.

"You don't mean-"

"Yeah, tell the green one I said hi." and with that he turned around and walked off into the night.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Where have you been?" Robin asked as Raven entered the main room.

"Oh, just went out for some fresh air." she replied.

"Well, don't do it again. We don't now what Kevin or Slade may be up to and can't risk any body leaving the tower on their own. Now then, as I was saying , we need to search over in this area…" Robin was waving a laser pointer at the map on the screen to the rest of the team. Raven tuned him out completely and went over to fix herself a cup of tea.

"… so keep and eye open for anything unusual." he stopped at looked at the rest of the team. Beast Boy was fast asleep on the couch with his head leaning over the top. Starfire was standing up with her eyes half open and completely slouched over. Cyborg had mumbled something earlier about needing to recharge and trudged off.

"I think that its time we call it a night. Everybody's wiped out, including you. Plus, you smell like you haven't showered in days." Raven said wrinkling her noise.

"Yeah, maybe your right. I think I'll pick this up tomorrow after some much needed rest." he said.

He yawned and trudged out of the room. Raven then walked over to the window and looked out over the city. She thought about telling the rest of them about her conversation with Kevin that night but she decided against it. It would only complicate things. Besides, she had a feeling that everything would work itself out in the end.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Where have you been?" Slade asked as Kevin walked into the building. He was standing on a platform looking over the factory floor. He asked the question without even turning around.

"Oh, just went out for some fresh air. Got that hard on yet?" he replied.

"Perhaps if you haven't noticed, I do not share your sense of humor. It would be wise of you to cease these insults." Slade said quietly.

"You see, that's where you're wrong. Just because we have to conquer and entire metropolis of millions of people, doesn't mean we can't have fun doing it."

"You may think this is a big game, but soon I shall unleash this mighty force and you will see just how real it is."

"Yeah, about that. When is D-Day for all this? How long are we going to wait?"

"Soon, we will strike when ready, but not yet. Until that day, I suggest you draw up a battle plan on how we will roll through this city like a tidal wave, and then crush the Teen Titans."

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Author's note:

There, a little drama. There hasn't been much in this story, but that's because I'm no fan of drama, not in my stories, movies, or even real life. But enough about that. The next chapter will probably be the last one. I say probably because truth be told, I'm making this up as I go along. If I get a brilliant idea laying in bed tonight, I may add that idea before the end.

So until then, stay frosty. And thanks for those who took the time to review.


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not, never have, and never will own the Teen Titans or any other registered trademarks of DC Comics

**Chapter 8**

"Starfire to Robin, I have searched the land of garbage, and have found nothing unusual. Except for the smell that greatly resembles the rear end of a Zorbian Glorshnork."

"Hey Robin, its Cyborg. The industrial sector is clean to. Well, at least clean of bad guys. I may place a call to the EPA, there's some rancid stuff down here."

"Nothing to report here either." said a dry voice.

"Explain to me again why _I _had to check the sewers?" said a high pitched, hyper voice.

All the Titans had reported from their search locations that they had been assigned to that morning. Just like every other day, they had come up empty. Robin was getting tired of this. It had taken them only one day to find the warehouse where Kevin and Slade had been working out of. It was obvious they had been there because of all the tread marks on the floor and the discarded scrap metal, plus the droppings from Bucepalus over in a corner where he apparently had been penned. The two seemed to have moved to a different location though long before they got there.

Since that day though, they had been unable to find their new hideout, and it was driving Robin nuts.

"Ok, everybody come on back, we need to think of a new strategy. Besides, it's getting late and I'm hungry."

"That's the best idea I've heard all day." Cyborg said over the communicator.

Cyborg closed his communicator and was about to get in his car when he stopped for a second. He looked over to a parking lot that was full of dozens of solid white semi trucks. There were several men walking around them talking to each other. They all wore solid black uniforms and combat boots with the same short haircuts. A few had side arms strapped to their waist.

Cyborg shut the car door and walked over to one of them.

"Excuse me, may I ask what all of these trucks are carrying?"

The guard looked puzzled and shouted something in German to another one. After some muffled conversation a different guard came trotting over to talk to Cyborg in broken English.

"Ah, these trucks here, they for boss." He said gesturing to the row of trucks.

"Ok fine, what's in them?" Cyborg said crossing his arms over his chest.

The other man blinked for a second and then continued.

"They carry, ah, what is word? Metal, yes metal and machines for employer."

"Fine, I'd like to have a look at them." Cyborg said as he pushed him out of the way.

"Stop, you are not allowed to look in them without-"

"Pal, I don't care what I'm allowed to do, I'm gonna look in there whether you like it or not."

The guard stood there for a minute and shouted out some German to the rest of the guards. Suddenly sub machine guns popped out of nowhere, with the barrels all pointing at Cyborg.

"Wait! Stop! I can handle this." yelled a man running over to Cyborg. He had a black jacket on over his shirt and tie. His ID tag identified him as a customs agent.

"These men and their equipment are here under the protection of the Federal Government. They have been granted diplomatic immunity from any search and seizer."

"Diplomatic immunity for whom?"

"That sir, is classified. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave now."

Cyborg looked back at the guards, who had not flinched a muscle.

"Fine, I'll go. You'all behave now, ya here." Cyborg said as he left the parking lot and walked over to the car. He then sped off down the street.

One of the guards waited a second and took out a radio.

"Ya, zey Indianer hez left, ya, understood." he spoke into the radio and put it away.

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Kevin finished assembling his pistol and holstered it. He then sheathed his sword and put on his gloves. Bucephalus snorted and whinnied, shaking his head up and down.

"Don't worry, I've got a plan. Far from foolproof, but it will work."

He then mounted Bucephalus and trotted out the door. He emerged on a balcony over looking a vast underground building. It was nothing more than a giant shell made of steel reinforced concrete. On the floor was what looked like a disturbed ant's nest. Thousands of sladebots swarmed here and there. Vehicles of all shapes and sizes rolled into their assembly area.

Kevin rode over next to Slade who was also standing on the balcony.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" lade said watching the androids hurry about.

"I'll be honest, they look good, but how well can they fight?"

"They are no substitute for flesh and blood, but against the local authorities, they will suffice."

They both stood there for a minute and watched the scene below them.

"Whenever you are ready apprentice."

"Very well." Kevin then slowly picked up his helmet and placed it on his head, like he was crowning himself king. As the helmet went on, his face disappeared from view under a shadow of darkness, even though there where lights shining directly in his face.

He trotted down a ramp to the ground floor and stood in front of the mammoth door that lead up into the forest near the city. The door slowly opened with a groan as the metal doors were slid to the side. He raised his sword above his head.

"Units! Forward!" with the last word he dropped his sword to his side in a swiping motion. The entire army jerked forward at once.

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"Who's up for a game of twister!" Beast Boy said as he ran into the main room with the game in his hands.

Raven looked up from her book.

"How come we always end up doing whatever stupid idea pops into your head?"

"Because they may not be the most brilliant ideas, but they sure are more exciting than a book."

"How would you know? I bet you haven't even read a book that doesn't have pictures in it."

"Yeah, so?"

Before Raven could respond, every body in the room froze when the ground trembled slightly.

"Is it an earthquake?" Cyborg asked as he stood up.

"Wait, listen" Starfire said as she raised a hand.

For a second nothing happened. Then the ground trembled again, but this time they heard a rumble coming from the other side of the city. Then there were more rumbles and vibrations, becoming more frequent. Then they heard sirens, and saw smoke rising.

"That sounds like gun fire." Raven said as she walked over to the window.

"Big guns." Cyborg said.

Then the alarm went off.

"Titans, trouble!" Robin yelled and they all went for the door, except Beast Boy. He was still staring out the window.

"Uh, hey guys."

"Not know Beast Boy! We have to go-"

"Yeah, but you may want to come take a look at this."

The rest of the team ran over to the window.

"Uh-oh" was all that Cyborg said.

The bay around the tower was full of vehicles. Black boats, hover tanks, and amphibious vehicles were slowly moving towards the island's shores.

Cyborg held his hand to the metallic side of his face, activating his night vision. He scanned the incoming force, made entirely of sladebots. Except for a human figure poking out of the hatch of a hover tank, with a horse that had glowing red eyes standing on top of the turret next to him.

"Guess what, our friend is back." he said dryly.

"He is most certainly not my frie-" Starfire was interrupted by Robin.

"Quick, everybody out front!" and with that they all dashed downstairs.

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The tank shuddered slightly as it left the water and moved onto dry land, but it kept moving. Behind him the armored personnel carriers stopped at the shore line and sladebots came pouring out of them. Heavy transports unloaded heavier silver androids that had steel pincers for hands. They reminded Kevin of the robot from "Lost in Space".

He picked up his night visions binoculars and scanned the tower. He saw the front door open and the Titans stream out of it. He smiled slightly and went into the turret to talk to the sladebot who was acting as his gunner.

"Designate targets Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta and Echo. Priority one, all units, fire at will."

He waited till the main gun went off before he popped his head back over the hatch. He looked through his goggles to see what was happening.

Raven had thrown up a black barrier to stop the incoming shells that were landing all around the base of the building. This was working until one landed behind her, the force blowing her flat on her face. Starfire was hovering above the bombardment, but could not shoot her starbolts because she had Robin in her hands. Beast Boy was nowhere to be seen, probably turned into a bug. Cyborg was taking cover behind a rock, until it shattered into a million pieces after a direct hit.

He saw Robin mouth something before all the Titans suddenly ran into the tower.

"Cease fire! Al units cease fire." he yelled into the comm. system.

He rubbed his chin for a moment and told his gunner to give the turret controls to him. He looked through the sights and aimed the main gun at the third floor of the building. He fired off one main gun round and watched it impact the building with an explosion. When the smoke cleared, it had not made a scratch.

"Load an armor piercing round."

After he heard the breech close, he fired off the gun again. Still no effect.

"Guess we'll have to do this the hard way."

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The Titans felt the tower shake and tremble with each impacting round. They stood waiting in the lobby, expecting it to come crashing down around their heads any minute.

"Don't worry, this baby is built out of solid titanium. It could survive a nuclear blast." Cyborg said patting the walls.

"It's only a matter of time before they stop bombarding us and come surging through that door, and then we will be overwhelmed." Robin said leaning against the wall.

"Don't forget, there's still another force out there attacking the city." Beast Boy said.

"But we can't get to the city because of the army at our front door. We would have to defeat them _and_ Kevin just to get through-" Raven stopped.

"Unless… we can sneak out." she said with a hint of a smile on her face.

Everybody was looking at each other now.

"The T-sub!" they all said at once.

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The door blew open and sladebots pored in. They met no resistance though, and spread to the top of the tower. But the tower was deserted. Kevin came through the door atop Bucephalus and surveyed the scene. He went downstairs and saw the empty rack where the sub was normally stored.

"Guess I let that one slip by me, no matter I know where they are going." He then pulled out a radio and spoke into it.

"Notify surface vessels, be on the watch for submersible craft, and attack on contact."

He turned to one of the sladebots.

"Place the charges. I want this building cleared and ready to blow in ten minutes."

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The sub crept along the bottom of the bay. The Titans weren't sure if Kevin knew they had it, but they were going slow to give off less noise in case he was searching for them. Nobody said a word.

Beast Boy looked through the glass and saw a barrel floating towards the bottom.

"I knew this city was dirty, but jeez. Can't people at least take their trash to the garbage dump." he said looking at the barrel getting closer.

Raven turned her head and saw it to.

"Uh, Beast Boy, that's no-" her sentence was cut short when the barrel exploded.

At first all they saw was a flash of light, then the loudest noise any of them had ever heard. The sub, and the teeth inside their skulls, rattled.

"Depth charges! Robin, step on!" Cyborg yelled over the comm. link.

Robin throttled the engine to full and they speed away. The charges kept coming though, they could see the wakes on the surface of the speed boats keeping up with the sub. Blast after blast rocked the sub, cracks formed in the glass, and water began to seep in at places.

"I don't know how much longer she can hold together, you had best try and get to dry land quick, or surface. Cause in a minute this things gonna fall apart!" Cyborg barked into the comms.

"If we surface, they'll gun us down." Raven said.

"Hang on, I've got an idea." Robin said and pushed what little juice was still left in the engine to maximum. Warning lights went off indicating engine overheat, the sub began to shudder from the speed alone. The shore was now just over fifty yards away. It was not shore line, but the commercial sea side, which was nothing more that a vertical wall leading out of the water. Then Robin suddenly pulled back on the stick, causing the sub to rise at nearly a fort five degree angle. The surface came at them with an incredible speed.

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Kevin was riding in one of the boats heading away from the island. He was watching the sladebots throw depth charges over the sides. He noticed they were getting awfully close to shore when out of the water erupted an orange submarine. But this sub flew. The momentum from the speed it was traveling when it breached the surface carried it half a football field through the air. It then crashed into the street that ran alongside the bay, but it didn't stop there. It continued skidding down the street, sparks flying from its smooth hull as it rubbed against the pavement. It went about seventy feet before crashing into the side of an office building. A cloud of dust erupted from the impact and obscured all vision.

He lifted a radio to his mouth.

"Get a team over there ASAP and search for survivors."

He already knew that they wouldn't find anything, his prey was already loose in the city, probably after Slade.

"Is everything going according to plan, my apprentice?" Slade's voice loomed through the radio.

"The Titans have been purged from their tower and the charges are set. However, you should be made aware of the fact that they evaded me and are now loose in the city."

There was a brief pause.

"You disappoint me. You were supposed to finish them off in the tower. You know what must be done. Do not disappoint me again, apprentice."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Slade put down the radio and returned his attention to the matter at hand. So far the city had fallen like a stack of dominos. The local authorities were helpless against his onslaught. There were still a few pockets of resistance left, like the one he was at right now. He was laying siege to the police station where most of the more heavily armed police were holed up, but progress was being made, it would only be a matter of time before it fell.

He ordered the driver of his tank to move on, he wanted to see how other areas of the city were faring. He drove two blocks down when he heard an explosion around the corner and saw sladebots flying from that direction. He ordered the tank to a halt. Just as he expected, five superheroes emerged from around the corner.

"It ends here Slade, were going to take you down." said Robin, standing ant the front of the group.

"End? Oh it will never end, especially now. Even if you could defeat me, however unlikely that scenario is, I now have my apprentice to take my place. A truly loyal one, for a change. Strike me down, and he will rise up."

"I don't care who you have working for you, we will take them down just like we do you. And there is nothing you can do to stop it."

"That's where your wrong." came a deep menacing voice from behind them.

They all turned to see Kevin behind them at the front of a dozen tanks and hundreds of sladebots.

"You could barely beat him, and can't beat me. Together, we are invincible. Because of these overwhelming odds, you get a choice. I have managed to convince Slade to give you the option of leaving this city unharmed, under the condition that you never return." Kevin said.

"Why would you even think that we would consider that?" Robin said.

"I don't expect you to, it's just an offer though." Kevin said shrugging his shoulders.

"We'll pass" Robin replied.

"Suite yourself" Kevin said. He then unsheathed his sword. Bucephalus reared back on two legs and then charged forward. He held his sword at his side ready to strike anything or anyone that got in his way. In this case the first person to do so was Starfire.

He swung his sword down at her, and she blocked with her wrists. The metal grieves on her wrists were forged from Tamaranain iron, five times as strong as the type mined out of earth. But even this could not stop his blade, it sliced through her grieves and cut the top part of her wrist, causing her to drop to the ground with a short, high pitched scream.

This sent Robin into a rage. He ran screaming at Kevin and jumped at him, knocking him off Bucephalus and onto the ground. The two rolled all over the ground, wrestling with each other to try and gain dominant hold on the opponent.

The other Titans began to inch closer when Slade raised his hand.

"I'm afraid you can't interfere with my apprentice's little fight." and with that sladebots began to advance from all sides. Cyborg and Raven began taking them on while Beast Boy ran over to Starfire. He examined her wound, it was bleeding. The cut had missed the main arteries so she seemed to be ok, but she was losing consciousness.

"Please, Tamaranians do not have as much blood as humans. Get me to the tower and I can heal myself." she half whispered. Beast boy looked at the battle around him. Robin was still wrestling with Kevin and Raven and Cyborg were occupied with Sladebots.

Then four hooves walked in front of him. Beast Boy slowly raised his head and looked into the glowing eyes of Bucephalus. The horse snorted and pawed the ground.

"I'll get you out of here Star, but first I gotta whoop some demonic horse butt."

He stepped over Starefire and morphed into a bull. He snorted, and pawed at the ground vigorously.

Bucephalus looked at him for a minute and then reared up on two legs, hooves kicking in the air. It let out an ear piercing whinny, and two foot long flames flew from its nostrils. When it landed back on all four hooves the ground trembled slightly.

The green bull froze for a second, and then turned around and ran. Bucephalus ran right after him.

Robin was growing weary, but Kevin showed no sign of giving up. Robin was on top now, and about to deliver a punch to the face when Kevin placed his foot on his chest and heaved him off of him. Robin flew a couple of feet and skidded to a halt on the pavement. He jumped up and pulled out a bird-a-rang. Kevin slowly walked over to him, sword in hand.

"You know you can't fight me with that, I'll cut right through it" Kevin said.

"Not if you don't have anything to cut it with." Robin said as he threw the bird-a-rang and ran at him at the same time.

Kevin swiped at the bird-a-rang in midair, slicing it in two. However, it was a downward stroke, and after the move he was pointing the sword to the ground. This allowed Robin to grab it before he had a chance to raise it for another strike.

The two then engaged in a kind of tug of war over the weapon, each had both hands on it, straining with all their might.

"You know, I could probably win this test of strength, but that would mean I couldn't do this." Kevin said as he reared back his head. He then brought it forward with all his might, his Kevlar helmet smashing into the forehead or Robin. Robin then crumpled to the ground like a wet piece of cardboard.

Kevin turned around to survey the scene before him. Starfire was still passed out on the ground, while Raven and Cyborg where being held by two of the giant silver sladebots. Bucephalus then trotted over with the unconscious form of Beast Boy hanging from his teeth.

Slade was clapping from his atop his tank. "Excellent work apprentice. I couldn't have done it better myself. Now lets end this shall we. Kill Robin, and show who is the new master of this city."

Without even saying a word, Kevin walked over to Robin, who was now slowly coming to. He picked him up by the cape and held his sword to his neck.

"Wh-, wait, you-, you can't do this." Robin mumbled, barely conscious.

"Don't you even think it buddy! Or you will get a world of hurt you can't even begin to believe!" Cyborg shouted from the claws of the android.

Raven simply hung there, eyes closed, looking at the ground.

Kevin looked at Robin for a minute, then dropped him on the ground.

"What are you doing! Finish him!" Slade screamed.

"Um, how about, no." Kevin said and began to walk over to Bucephalus.

"What do you mean no! You are my appre-"

"No, not really. You see, I've been doing some thinking. Your whole conquer the city thing is a little insane, and I want no part in it." he said as he mounted Bucephalus.

Slade stood there for a minute. "Very well, if you wish to perish with these fools, then so be it. You will be destroyed by the very army you have lead."

Kevin raised his index finger. "Oh yeah, about that grand army of yours."

At that moment an explosion engulfed one of the tanks. Machine gun fire erupted from windows up and down the street and the hiss of anti-tank rockets could be heard. Attack helicopters approached from the distance as sladebots began to drop like flies. The two holding Raven and Cyborg dropped their captives after receiving automatic weapons fire to their backs.

The sladebots and tanks scattered, trying to find cover in the open street. Out of alleyways came soldiers dressed in black and speaking in German, pouring fire into the sladebots.

Slade looked around him in what seemed to be confused state at the sudden reversal in fortune.

"You seem to forget the secret weapons I have." he said and pulled out Control Freak's remote. He pressed a button, nothing happened.

"Oh yeah, I switched those out last night." Kevin said crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Slade now looked like he was truly panicking. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a remote. "Surrender now, or your precious tower will be destroyed." he said with a finger hovering over a button.

Kevin then raised a hand "About those charges I had set in the tower, I sabotaged them last night too."

Slade didn't move for a second, then he pressed the button. Nothing happened. He pressed it over and over again, still, nothing happened. "Why you ungrateful little-"

"Save it, I've been called a lot worse by much bigger men." Kevin said cutting him off.

Slade threw down the remote and jumped out of the tank. Before anybody could react, he ran over to Starfire and grabbed her by the collar. He then pulled out a pistol and held it to the side of her head.

"Make any sudden moves and she gets it." he said slowly baking towards the water's edge.

Cyborg raised his cannon and Raven's hands began to glow. By this time Robin was a bit more coherent and raised his head.

"Starfire! Please, stop." he yelled while extending an arm like he could touch her.

"Oh I'll stop alright, but only after I'm far away from here." Slade said as he continued backing towards the sea.

Kevin slowly drew his pistol and, holding it with both hands, took careful aim.

Slade saw this and stopped. He raised the Tamaranian's head next to his and held the gun even tighter.

"You wouldn't endanger her now then, would you?" he hissed.

"You don't now me as well as you think you do. See, just because I fight with the good guys, doesn't mean that I'm one of them." Kevin said.

He then squeezed the trigger. The gun went off, and they all heard a metallic clang as the bullet hit Slade in the forehead. His head snapped back, causing him to drop Starfire and do a black flip over the edge of the railing and down into the sea, but there was no splash.

All the Titans came running over to the edge and looked over the railing into the water. There was no ripple or disturbance of the waves that gently crashed into the wall below.

Robin hobbled over to Starfire, where Raven was healing her with her powers.

"She'll be ok, we'll just take her back to the tower and get some more blood into her. There's no hurry though, Tamaranians can last much longer without it than humans." Raven said, not even looking up from her work.

Robin then turned to Kevin. "You! You could have hurt Starfire! What were you thinking?" he yelled at him while pointing a finger.

Kevin stood there, unmoving. "That was a risk I was willing to take. Like I said, I'm not a good guy."

Before Robin could respond one of the soldiers came running over to the group. He yelled something in German at Kevin while pointing his gun at him. Kevin said something back in German and then for a second neither moved. Then the soldier began to laugh and walked over to Kevin.

Kevin started laughing to and took off his helmet. The two hugged for a second and patted each other on the back. Kevin guided him over to the rest of the Titans.

"Titans, there is someone I want you to meet. This here is Carl Muller, commander of the Bavarian Dragoons, the best mercenaries money can buy. He owed me a favor, and this seemed like a good time to call it in. Right now, his men are wiping up the last of those androids."

Cyborg stood there scratching his head "So let me get this straight, you've been planning this all along? Then why did you go so rough on us? I mean, look what you did to Starfire! Robins probably got a concussion, and you scratched up my Tower!"

"Well about that, I just enjoy fighting you all, I don't get that kind of competition very often. If I told you, you probably would have gone easy on me. Besides, Raven knew all along, isn't that right." Kevin said gesturing to Raven.

She looked at the ground and kicked a pebble. "Uh, yeah, I kind of read his mind and saw what he was going to do, I figured it would work best if I kept my mouth shut." she said kind a sheepishly.

By now Starfire was awake again and propped herself up on one arm. "So, now that we have united against a common enemy and have emerged victorious, will you now be our friend?" she asked.

Kevin just sighed and placed his helmet back on. He walked over to Bucephalus and mounted him.

"Sorry, but no. I work alone, and this town is too small for the two of us. My skills are probably best put to use else where. So until next time, se ya around." He began to trot off into the night when he stopped and wheeled his horse around.

"Hey Raven! One last thing!" he shouted and then just sat there unmoving, but with his head slightly bowed like he was deep in thought.

Beast Boy was about to say something when he stopped. He was looking at Raven who had turned her back to them and put up her hood.

"Uh, hey Raven, are you …blushing?" he asked.

"Oh, uh, n-, no it's just, I mean, nothing." she said and walked off.

Cyborg stepped forward "So tell me, Kevin, are you-"

Kevin interrupted him "No, Kevin was my name when I was still human. I have become something else since Trigon took my soul. Call me, Horseman." He then turned around and disappeared into a dark alley.


	10. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I do not, never have, and never will own the Teen Titans or any other registered trademarks of DC Comics

**Epilogue**

It had been two days since the Horsemanhad left. The city was mostly cleaned up and things were beginning to return to normal. The only crime of any significance had been a series of fights involving the German Mercenaries when they had called the American beer at the bars "weak".

Raven was staring out the window at the city when Robin walked up to her.

"I know when something is bothering you. You haven't been the same since he left, what is it?" he asked.

For a minute she said nothing. Then she spoke quietly.

"Kevin draws his powers from my father, and he who giveth can taketh away. Kvin is no longer serving him, so why has Trigon not taken his powers away? The only answer I can come up with is that Trigon still has a use for Kevin yet, and Kevin is unaware of it."

"What do you think it is?"

She paused again.

"I dare not think about it."

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He shivered slightly as the wind blew over the rolling hills and into the forest where he was camped. Night had descended and with it came the cold. Jozef worked a little faster to get the fire started. He had done it enough times to be able to do it in a rainstorm if necessary. After a second smoke began to rise followed by a satisfying crackling noise as the flame grew larger.

He leaning back against a tree and pulled out the small sack stuffed in his coat. He counted the money that he had obtained that day. He paused as he saw some American dollars. He smiled a little. Not as good as the Euros he had stolen last week, but better than the native currency.

He put the money down and reached into another pocket. He pulled out twelve bullets and counted each one out. Counting the ones he kept in his gun that left him with eighteen in all. It would be enough to last him a little while longer, but soon he would have to restock. Problem was that unlike America, guns and ammo were few and far between here. Organized crime syndicates and corrupt army officers were the only places to get firearms from.

He sighed and put them away. He would worry about that tomorrow. He was rubbing his hands together in front of the fire, enjoying the warmth when he heard the snapping of twigs behind him. He spun around, his eyes scanned the dark woods around him, but saw nothing. Probably just a wolf, he thought. The fire would keep those away, he had nothing to worry about.

He turned back around to the fire, enjoying the warmth sweeping over his body. It was then that he began to feel an unusually warm feeling on the back of his neck, which shouldn't have happened since it was facing away from the fire. He also was puzzled by the pungent smell of rotten eggs. No, not rotten eggs, he thought getting another whiff of it.

Sulfur

He slowly turned his head around only to end up nose to nose with a black horse. Its hot breath flowed over his face. When he looked to see its eyes, he almost gasped as he saw no eyes, only glowing red orbs where they should be. His gazed traveled up slowly to see a rider mounted on its back. Like the horse, he was also covered in black. Despite the light given off by the fire, he could barley make out any features of this stranger.

He mustered up all the courage he could find not to stutter.

It didn't work.

"Wh-, what do you want." he murmured.

The voice that replied made his blood freeze.

"Justice, and Vengeance"

**The End**

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If this were a movie, right now the Rolling Stone's "Can't Get No Satisfaction" would be playing during the credits.

There, the end. This storyline is an idea that has been bouncing around in my head for a while, so I finally decided to write it down.

Now I know what you all are thinking, sequel?

My answer, maybe. At the moment I have no plans to have this character return at any time. However, if people show enough interest, I may reconsider.

So, if you enjoyed the story and its main character, write a review saying so. Otherwise, just do nothing. If I get a lot of reviews requesting a sequel, then perhaps down the road I will make one.

So until then, stay frosty.

-Duke402


End file.
